20 



MAGNOLIACE^. 



time.^ It is the bark figured as Cortex Winteranus by Goebel and 

 Kunze^ and described by Merat and De Lens,^ Pereira, and other writers 

 of repute. Guibonrt indeed pointed out in 1850 its great dissimilarity 

 to the bark of Drimnys and questioned if it could be derived from that 



genus. 



It is a strange fact that the tree should have been confounded with 

 Canella alba L., differing from it as it does in the most obvious manner^ 

 not only in form of leaf, but in having the flowers axillary, whereas 

 those of C. alba are terviinaL Although Cinnamodendroir corticosum 

 is a tree sometimes as much as 90 feet high^ and must have been well 

 known in Jamaica for more than a century, yet it had no botanical 

 name until 1858 when it was described by Miers® and referred to the 

 small genus Cinnamodendron which is closely allied to Canella, 



The bark of Ginnamodendron has the general structure of Canella 

 alba. There is the same thin corky outer coat (which is not removed) 

 dotted with round scars, the same form of quills and fracture. But the 

 tint is different, being more or less of a ferruginous brown. The inner 



surface wdiich is a little more fibrous than in canella, varies in colour, 

 being yellowish, brown, or of a deep chocolate. The bark is violently 

 pungent but not bitter, and has a very agreeable cinnamon-like odour. 

 In microscopic structure it approaches very close to canella ; yet 

 the thick- walled cells of the latter exist to a much larger extent and 



The medullary rays are 



Its decoction is 



are here seen to belong to the suberous tissue, 

 loaded with oxalate of calcium. 



Ginnamodendron bark has not been analysed, 

 blackened by a persalt of iron whereby it may be distinguished from 

 Canella alba ; and is coloured intense purplish brown by iodine, which 

 is not the case with a decoction of true Winter s Bark. 



FRUCTUS ANISI STELLATI. 



Semen Badiana^; Star-Anise; F. Badiane, Anis etoiM; G. Sternams, 



Botanical Origin — Illicium anisatum Loureiro (7. religiosw^^ 

 Sieb.). A small tree, 20 to 25 feet high, native of the south-western 

 provinces of China; introduced at an early period into Japan by the 



Buddhists and planted about their temples. 



1092, discovered and 



Kampfer in his travels in Japan, in 1C90 



a tree called Sonio or SMmmi'^ which subsequent authors 



The tree was also 



figured 



assumed to be the source of the drug Star-anise, 



found in Japan by Thunberg® who remarked that its capsules are not 

 so aromatic as those found in trade. Von Siebold in 1825 noticed the 



^ It is so labelled in the Museum of the 



Pharmaceutical Society, 28th April, 1873. 



^Pharm, Waareniunde, 1827-29. i. Taf, 



3. fig. 7. 



^As shown hy De Lens' own specimen 

 kindly given to us by Dr. J. Leon Soubei- 

 ran. There are specimens of the same 

 bark about a century old marked Cortex 

 Winteranus verus in Dr. Burges's cabinet 

 of drugs belonging to the Royal College of 

 Physicians. 



* Griesbach calls it a low shrubby tree, 

 10—15 feet high. Mr. jST. Wilson, late oi 

 the Bath Botanic Garden, Jamaica, has in- 

 formed me it grows to be 40—45 iu height. 

 but that he has seen a specimen 90 feet 

 hish. (Letter 22 May 1802.)— D. H. 



Loc. ciL 

 « From the Arabic Badly an fennel 



'^ Amcenilates, 1712. 880*. 

 ^ Flora Japonica, 1784. 235. 



